When Kanda Gets Sick
by K. Fang-sama
Summary: An AU story about Kanda. The title should explain the rest.
1. Chapter 1

When Kanda Gets Sick

**Chapter One**

It was pretty easy to remember how it started, Kanda had always thought, simply because he could never imagine what it was like until then.

Yu Kanda, the youngest adopted son of artist: Froi Tiedoll, had never been sick before in his life. Not a cough, a sniffle, or a fever to speak of. He had never experienced that type of harm to his body, and because of that, he never really understood what his older brothers went through when they got sick. All he knew was that it wasn't pleasant, and he took good care of himself to make sure he never felt it.

Staying active, eating healthy, taking vitamins, just doing things to help him stay at the best of his ability. If he got cut, he'd tend to it. If someone else was sick, he was careful to not stay near them too long. It wasn't a phobia, no. Kanda just never liked the idea of someone having to tend to him while he recuperated. He had a doting father, which was bad enough on its own. But then there was Daisya, the second-eldest, who'd never let him live it down, and use every minute to torture him. The eldest brother, Marie, was much more understanding, but then Kanda would have to deal with his friends worrying about him. And that wasn't a welcoming thought.

He was eighteen, a senior in high school. It was May, meaning his brothers were home for the summer, away from college, and there were no more Kendo tournaments for Kanda to attend. This time of the year was supposed to be a time of just kicking back, finishing the year right, and just getting in some peace and quiet, like it had been for three years now.

_Supposed to be._

First period, Kanda came into class with a headache. He didn't think much of it, especially since he had class with Lavi. He was a rather annoying rabbit with ADHD, and a clever one at that. He took pleasure in making Kanda's mornings hell, so the Asian male quickly became accustomed to getting a headache before walking in.

"Yuu-chan!" Lavi yelled as he entered.

_Too loud,_ Kanda couldn't help but think. The red-head was loud before, but they were on opposite ends of the room. He shouldn't be resisting the urge to cringe from being so far away.

Kanda's thought process was quickly interrupted, as the red-head took the time to run to the other end of the room and hug, beginning to nag him about hanging out on weekends more, or something like that. But Kanda didn't register his words. Not only was Lavi's voice worsening his headache, but the hug made Kanda painfully aware of the fact he was sore. To the point he didn't want to move.

But that meant staying in the stupid hug. "Baka Usagi, let go!" He barked at Lavi, moving out of his grip before moving to his seat. Unconsciously, he touched his throat. It normally took a few hours before the yelling started to hurt his throat.

Moving through classes was just dreadful. Kanda had to rub his eyes multiple times just to help him see the board right, and even then he felt unfocused. He was tired also, making it considerably more difficult to pay attention. In between said classes, he went to the nearest water fountain, and the drink could only last him a few minutes before his throat started aching again.

The real hit to the face happened in German class, right before lunch. Kanda had taken his seat in the back, but he wasn't remotely aware of the fact he had nodded off until the bell rang. First off, Kanda didn't feel like moving; or eating, for that matter. And then of course, there was the desire to return to his nap. Fed up with not knowing what was going on, he went up to Miss Lotto before she could pack up and leave.

"Oh! Hello, Kanda. What can I do you for?" She asked, smiling.

"A pass to the nurse's office." He informed her, his voice dying out as he reached the end of the sentence. Miss Lotto only nodded, writing him the pass before sending him on his way.

As he walked, Kanda found himself glaring at the floor. No, he didn't want to go to the nurse's office. But he'd much rather walk himself there, rather than have one of his classmates carry him at realizing he was asleep during the lecture for the first time in history. He also went down for the sake of either A: reassuring himself that he was fine, or B: confirming he was sick.

With that buzzing through his head, Kanda knocked on Nurse Matron's door. "Come in." Her voice rang. Kanda did so, in spite of not liking the old woman. However, seeing her shocked expression when he walked in did add a plus to his day. She blinked a few times at first, but she soon moved towards him; shutting the door and leading him to one of the beds. "To what do I owe the rare pleasure of seeing you, Mr. Kanda?" She asked in an authoritative manner.

"That's what I came to find out." He answered, his voice cracking.

The sound of Kanda's strong voice having been reduced to something that pitiful made the nurse stand a little straighter. The first thing she grabbed was the thermometer, before moving to put it in her patient's ear. At hearing the beep, she removed the device, read the numbers, then looked at Kanda with a strict face and said: "You're going home."

The ebony didn't have to ask why, nor did he argue much with the nurse's decision. As much as Kanda hated the idea of being sick, he undeniably was, and he was just too tired to make it through the rest of school.

With much disdain, Kanda asked the nurse to call his father so he could come pick him up, while the ebony went to get his things from his locker. Although surprised at the lack of an argument, the nurse nodded and let Kanda leave.

He went to his locker, packed his bag with whatever he needed, and put his jacket on before slamming the door shut. He returned to the nurse's office, placing his bag on the floor before lying down on one of the beds. May as well nap until the old man showed up.

* * *

_**Well, here's a new one. I think it'll be interesting to look at a sick fic from this angle. Hope you liked it.**_

_**~ K. Fang-sama**_


	2. Chapter 2

When Kanda Gets Sick

**Chapter Two**

Having accepted his predicament, Kanda had been using the last, rather miserable, twenty-four hours to his advantage.

The nurse woke him up about a half hour after he came in, informing him that his dad was waiting for him in the attendance office. Kanda wasn't keen on the idea of moving, but of course, he had to. The idea of his bed was the only pleasant thing to come about him, and was the only real motivation he had to getting up.

He got to the attendance office and took very quick notice of his adoptive father. The first move the man made was to check Kanda's forehead, which his son waved off. "Old man, I get you're concerned, but I really want to go home and pass out." He admitted, not really caring at this point. There were endurable points to his situation, but not at the present. The walk had Kanda's head pounding louder and it only made him more tired than he already was.

Tiedoll, slightly surprised by the the statement, had no objections to Kanda's request. He simply led Kanda to where the car was parked; knowing getting the boy to admit any form of sensitivity or pain took a lot. "Do Marie and Daisya know I'm coming home?"

"Yes, they do." Just great.

They made it back to the house, and where Marie was being respectful, Daisya was bothering him about "sickness being bothersome/a sign of weakness," thus worsening his headache. "He never said it was a sign of weakness," Marie countered for him, "and the fact that Kanda took the liberty to check his condition and resigned to coming home is actually very mature of him. Unlike the last time_ you_ got sick."

If he had a different humor about him, Kanda would have smirked at the statement. He only rolled his eyes, though; taking care of specific necessities before going to bed. He plopped his bag and coat at the entrance and went to the kitchen to take some medicine and grab water. Then he headed upstairs to his room; changing out of his day clothes and into a pair of pajama bottoms, then going to bed. Needless to say, it didn't take long for him to pass out. And he was left alone for quite a few hours to come.

Naturally, being the doting parent he is, Froi Tiedoll would check on Kanda by the hour. He was quiet and didn't bother Kanda while he slept until around supper. "Yu-kun," the man spoke to him. Although, due to his headache, Kanda figured he was probably trying to be as quiet as possible to not agitate him, despite him sounding louder than normal. Regardless, the Japanese teen woke up with great reluctance. "It's almost six, Yu-kun. I figured you should eat something; especially since the nurse told me you came down at lunch hour."

It was at being told this that Kanda's nose was hit with the familiar smell: chicken noodle soup. He turned to the side table and saw the tray his dad brought up. His water was refilled, and there was green tea with it, much to his liking. That aside, the familiar smell of the over-salted chicken broth was bothersome to Kanda. He never liked it, not in the slightest. However, it was second nature to give a sick person this dish, simply because it actually helped, somewhat.

No matter how much Kanda didn't want to eat, he knew better. He sat up straight in resignation, waiting for his dad to get the hint that he'd eat. He'd been a member of Tiedoll's house for ten years now, so the man knew Kanda's signals. The old man placed the tray in front of his son, pleased that he wasn't rebelling the idea.

Now, the ebony was more than able to digest the tea and water, but once he started on the soup, things got complicated. As he never liked chicken noodle, it was a bit hard not to spit it back out once it was in his mouth. He swallowed it all the same, but that wasn't the worst of it. Kanda took all but six spoonfuls before his stomach began turning on him. The nausea made him drop the spoon and cover his mouth.

"Yu-kun?" Tiedoll questioned. The latter shook his head, turning away from the food. Kanda may have never been sick before, but he knew what nausea felt like. Not too long after joining the house, Daisya had challenged him, saying that he could stomach more candy than Kanda. And where his older brother was throwing up by the end of that challenge, Kanda's stomach informed him that he should stop eating or else. It is this very incident that made Kanda avoid sweets at all costs.

The old man's concern began rising. "Can you at least finish half of it?" Again, Kanda shook his head, moving his hand to plug his nose. The smell was making him feel worse, now.

Tiedoll sighed in defeat, removing the tray and informing Kanda he'd be right back with some more water and tea. Kanda's hand was over his mouth still, allowing enough space so that he could take some deep breaths. Oh, how he hated this already. But there was nothing to be done about his fever, other than to make it through the next few days on bed rest.

"Wow. I definitely came up at the right time." Kanda's eyes averted to Daisya, as said older half brother put a basket on Kanda's nightstand. In it was the ibuprofen, naturally, but there were other objects, such as earplugs, the thermometer, aspirin, benadryl, and a tub of green tablets. Also, Daisya had a water pitcher, which he used to refill Kanda's water glass, again. After that, Daisya took the bottle of green tablets that Kanda found the label called them: Tums. He took out two, then handed them to Kanda. "These will help your stomach. Just suck on them and swallow the every so often, they'll dissolve in your mouth."

Now, Kanda had bore through nausea before, but this time he was much less willing to wait it out. He took the tums without complaint, surprising Daisya before he slumped into his pillows. God, being sick sucked. The only thing he could hope for was that he'd feel better tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

When Kanda Gets Sick

**Chapter Three**

The first day at home was a miserable experience, there was no denying that. The second day was just as miserable. The third was much, much worse.

Kanda was, at the very least, able to sleep most of the first two days. But on his second night of being sick, he couldn't sleep a wink. His body was flashing between hot and cold, making his night very restless. If that weren't bad enough, his sore throat got worse and he developed a cough overnight. A nasty one at that. At most, he got two hours of sleep.

Day three, Kanda was lying in bed a mess, groaning every so often as he did so. Around seven, Daisya took the first round to check on him so their father wouldn't go about annoying Kanda like he did the previous day. One look at his little brother, though, Daisya stuck his head out the door and started yelling. "Dad!"

Of course the old man was awake, and he raced upstairs at the sounds of alarm in Daisya's voice. He was about to speak, but stopped at noticing Kanda. "Daisya, get a water basin, fill it with cold water and bring up a towel. Go!" Daisya did so, and Tiedoll moved for the thermometer that was left on Kanda's nightstand. "Yu-kun, open your mouth." The man ordered, trying to keep his panic under control.

The Asian's rebellious side had completely diminished; obeying his father so he could help. Kanda's disorientated mind didn't register much, save for his family's alarm and his own misery. He knew that the best way to get better was to resign to their help, and nowhere did he believe that more than right now.

Tiedoll nearly cursed when he saw the numbers, had it not been for Daisya's arrival. Less than a minute after, Kanda felt a cold, damp cloth began to wipe down his face. He whimpered at the touch, just registering how hot his body actually felt at that moment. "Too hot..." He managed to groan out, glazed eyes meeting his father.

The old man let a small smile show. "I know, Yu-kun. Just try and go back to sleep, all right?" The teen managed a few puffy breaths, but after that, he just closed his eyes; too tired to keep them open much longer.

The ebony woke up a few hours later; an ice pack to his forehead and his sheets up to his bare chest. "Woah, hey!" A surprised whisper rang. Kanda looked to his right and saw Daisya. He had a concerned expression, which was rare to see, and it was never directed at the younger. Seeing it, though, allowed Kanda to sum up what happened. "How high was my fever, this morning?" He asked, his voice dry.

A small smile formed on Daisya's face. "39 Degrees. Any higher would have been a hospital visit, but it simmered down."

Kanda let out a breath, closing his eyes as he did so. He hated his school nurse, he hated having to be catered to, so anyone with half a brain could easily guess that the hospital was not somewhere he wanted to go. To visit family and friends, he'd reluctantly go, but he didn't want to be the patient in any shape or form.

He began to slowly sit up; intent on meeting Daisya at eye-level; only to have another coughing fit.

The sound alarmed Daisya, and he quickly moved to grab his younger brother. He began rubbing his back soothingly as the sound of wet coughs rang in his ear, and a few tears leaked from Kanda's eyes. The fit soon passed, and Daisya got a good look at the Asian. Kanda's neck and face was red, and his eyes were watery. He was taking in ragged breaths, that looked like it just hurt to breathe.

He helped his younger brother sit up, arranging the pillows behind him so he could have some better support. "I'll be right back." And with that, he ran out.

Kanda took the time to breathe in a few more breaths before looking at his nightstand. He grabbed the basket of medicine and began reading the labels for what they would help soothe. Seeing the benadryl helped deal with sore throats, he took them out; replacing the basket just as Daisya came in with a tall glass of water; a smile on his face. "Good call." He said, handing Kanda the water just as he managed to get two pills out of the package. Kanda took them, but then continued to drink the water he was given.

Daisya continued speaking as he did so. "Dad's getting you a doctor's appointment, by the way." Kanda's eyes widened briefly, but then narrowed in Daisya's direction. The latter sighed. "Sorry, man, but there's no way this is a regular cold. More likely than not, this was all caused by a bacterial infection and you need prescription meds to get rid of it. Either you go see the doctor now, or we rush you to the ER later." Kanda's gaze didn't turn, but he knew that Daisya was right. Health class was one of his best class for a reason.

And so it was that eleven o'clock on Wednesday, Kanda was sitting in the waiting room with his father; waiting to be called. Dr. Cross Marian had been the family doctor for years, but outside of a sport's physical, Kanda never saw him that much. Cross was a doctor at Ordeal Black Hospital, and was better known for his abilities as a surgeon, as well as a neurologist. And it was only for injury that Kanda had ever gone to the clinic for him, outside of his physical.

They were called in, and Cross was sitting in their waiting for them. Normally he had them stew for twenty to thirty minutes, but his smirk implied that he was amused. "Finally caught something, huh? I'd have your brothers wait another hour for getting sick again, but to hear you came down with something? Ha!" Kanda wisely stayed quiet. Cross was manageable, even more so in a good mood, but it was better to get through the appointment as quickly as efficiency would allow, rather than waste his time arguing with him. He would only speak to Cross whenever he got injured, and that was only to learn how to best deal with it. Same rules applied here.

Kanda took off his shirt, as per always, and kept his pants on. Cross didn't ask any questions yet until both he and Tiedoll sat down. Once that was done, he began. "When did this start?"

"Monday." Came the curt reply.

Cross liked curtness, as he'd much rather get to the point (like Kanda would). So, the Asian knew not to say more than what Cross would find necessary. "Symptoms." The doctor demanded.

Kanda replied. "Sore throat, headache, exhaustion, soreness, fever and coughing fits."

The red-head nodded, taking note of it before grabbing his stethoscope. Beginning to listen to Kanda's breathing, he asked: "Have these been wet or dry coughs?"

"Wet." The latter informed, clearing his throat.

Cross' eyes narrowed. "Well, no wonder. Your chest is pretty congested. How long have you been coughing?"

"Since last night."

Cross nodded and didn't say anything else for the duration of the checkup, aside from standard orders and quick idle chats with Tiedoll. He heard all he wanted to out of Kanda, and the fact he didn't comment meant the doctor wasn't going to chastise Kanda as an idiot. It happened before, but not nearly as much to his brothers. The red-head did so when he thought someone was stupid in handling their situation. The silence informed Kanda that he did well for it being his first time being ill, which was good enough for him.

Doctor Marian finished looking him over and informed them: "It's the flu, most certainly. Starting from a throat infection, and a pretty bad one. Not that I'm surprised it took you a few days, but because this is the first time you got sick, you might want to make plans to come in if it doesn't blow over in twenty-four hours." Kanda nodded, silently. Cross smirked, writing something down before speaking again. "You can pick up your medication at your pharmacy later today. Follow the instructions on the bottle, stay in bed, and take it easy for the next few days. You didn't get sick until now, which could make you more ceceptable to it relapsing on you.

Again, Kanda nodded. The prescription was handed to Tiedoll as Kanda put his shirt back on, and the two left for home.


End file.
